Olivia (Bussy novel)

Olivia is the only novel by Dorothy Bussy (but not her only personal literary work) – published in 1949 at Hogarth Press, the publishing house founded by Leonard and Virginia Woolf. Bussy wrote it in French and signed her work with the pseudonym "Olivia." "Olivia" had been the name of one of Dorothy's sisters who died in infancy. The book was translated into English and then retranslated back into French. Bussy dedicated it "to the very dear memory of Virginia W."

Summary

The plot dramatizes the passion of a young English boarding student for one of her French teachers, Mlle Julie, whose character owes much to Marie Souvestre.

Critical reception and scandal

Its success was immediate, in the United Kingdom as much as in foreign countries. It was hailed as a minor masterpiece.

The novel caused a scandal when it first appeared, even though it belongs to an already well-established tradition, from Claudine à l'école by Colette (1900) to the film Girls in Uniform (Mädchen in Uniform) (1931), based on the play by Christa Winsloe. In their correspondence, Gide and Bussy did not fail to mention Mädchen in Uniform, the cinematic version of which had already been shown in Paris during the interwar period. In 1934 after this discussion Bussy sent the text, which she had been writing since the year before, to her close friend André Gide to ask his opinion. Gide's response having been unenthusiastic, Bussy gave up on publishing it for fifteen years. After the book's success, Gide apologized to Bussy for not having appreciated her work at first.

French edition

The first French edition, published by Stock in 1949, benefited from a foreword by Rosamond Lehmann, who was also close to Leonard Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group.

Adaptations

• 1950: Olivia, a French film directed by Jacqueline Audry, based on the British novel of that title, with Edwige Feuillère and Simone Simon in the leading roles.